Tiny Tim - the shaggy, longhaired, ukulele-playing singer - was one of the mad manifestations of the 1960s with his silly little ditty entitled Tip Toe Through the Tulips.

He was the epitome of a onehit wonder.

Tim (Tiny Tim) Brown, the diminutive kick returner of the B.C. Lions, has no connection with the flower child, though he tiptoed to an impressive total of 2,687 yards last season, leading the Canadian Football League's West Division in allpurpose yards.

As well, the thought that he might become a one-hit wonder probably crossed Brown's mind at the start of the 2013 season.

It's not often that a finalist for a CFL award during the previous Grey Cup week is scratched not once but twice in the first three games of the new season. But that was Brown's fate July 4 against the Toronto Argonauts and again last Saturday against the Eskimos in Edmonton.

Rookie Korey Williams, who raised eyebrows in training camp and scorched the Calgary Stampeders on a 105-yard touchdown return in pre-season, started in place of Brown for games No. 2 and No. 3 as the Lions experimented with an exciting player who might give them instant strike capability.

What thoughts were going through Brown's mind weren't hard to guess, although the 28-year-old from Stockton, Calif., gave no outward evidence that he was slowing dying inside.

"Definitely. I explored new levels of humility," Brown admitted Friday, following a walk-through for Saturday's rematch against the Eskimos at BC Place Stadium. "I had to go to God and pray. It was definitely a test of my faith. My emotions wanted to get the best of me. I want to play. Every player here wants that. I wondered what was going on.

"But Korey's a heckuva player.

I don't think he did a bad job at all."

Brown is being exceedingly gracious, as is his way. The rocket-legged Williams fizzled in the torrential downpour at Commonwealth Stadium and averaged just over five yards on seven punt returns. He brought back two kickoffs a total of 27 yards. While the Lions' blocking was suspect, so was Williams' ability to find the creases

that were there.

And so, Brown is back in, trying to ratchet up the Lions' lagging special teams, which sit eighth in average punt and kickoff returns, respectively, in the eight-team league.

Asked, hypothetically, what would have been Brown's fate had Williams' performances

been dynamic instead of dubious, Lions head coach Mike Benevides said: "I'm not sure what the answer would be. But I know Tim brings a lot to the table. Tim has a good feel for this opponent. I'm sure he knows what's at stake. I'm looking forward to a tremendous game from Tim."

Though Brown's personality is the essence of the "let a smile be your umbrella" school of positive thinking, he is an admitted worrywart who fully realizes the transitory nature of a football career. He can be replaced as quickly as a phone call.

So he takes little for granted.

Last season, when his favourite jersey number - No. 7, formerly worn by Jarious Jackson, now the team's quarterbacks coach - became available, Brown didn't ask for it immediately. He waited until he was signed to a contract extension which, at least, indicated the semblance of some security. No. 7 is special, since it was the number Brown adopted at Temple and in junior college, at City College of San Francisco. His late father, Harry Brown, also wore No. 7 during his football career, and Tim said the number has inspirational qualities for him.

Harry Brown died of cancer in Brown's senior year at Temple, and his mother, Mary, succumbed to the same disease in April, just before he attended the Lions' mini-camp in Surrey. Brown has never spoken publicly about the "personal issues" he's been dealing with, but it explains his quick trips to Stockton whenever there was a break in the Lions' schedule.

"It's a blessing that I have five other siblings," Brown said. "We can lean on each other and cry together. It's just one of those things you have to deal with. Thinking about making the team, trying to keep my job, I haven't had a lot of time to grieve. At the end of the day, life goes on. You've got to go out here and do your job and support your family back home. It's hard."

Typically, he soldiers on, shouldering twin burdens but never giving the impression life is becoming a heavy weight.

"Mentally, he's one of the strongest players I've played with," linebacker Jason Arakgi said. "Just his outlook on life is so positive. Tim's gone through a lot, with the personal issues and these past two games. That's hard for anybody. It's different in our world, too. When your professional life isn't going well, and you play a professional sport, everybody knows about it. He took his demotion like a pro. And now he'll show everybody why he's still an awesome returner."

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THREE THEMES UNHAPPY RETURNS The Korey Williams experiment is over. After sitting Tim Brown for two games, the Lions are going back to the West Division special teams player of the year in 2012 in an effort to add some juice to their return game. The Lions are averaging just 4.7 yards per punt return and rank eighth in the CFL in that department. The league-wide average, heading into Week 4, was 8.8 yards. B.C's longest return is 23 yards. The Lions are also eighth in kickof returns, averaging only 12.8 yards. The league-wide average for kickof returns was 21.2 entering the week. How do those Lions' averages compare with last season? In 2012, B.C. averaged 11.9 and 22.6 yards on punts and kickof s, respectively.

MANNY BEING MANNY Manny Arceneaux told one news outlet he is showcasing himself for a return to the NFL. He told another reporter his focus is squarely on the Lions. While it's tough to get a read on him, it's doubly so for teams trying to defend him. The Lions wide receiver has a CFL-best three catches of 40-plus yards entering Week 4 of the season. Four of his seven catches have gone for gains of 30-plus yards. With Geroy Simon in Saskatchewan, the Lions' offence appears to be going more vertical, spreading the field, and creating opportunities for Arceneaux. "When we've got a chance to take a shot, we're going to go for it," quarterback Travis Lulay said. "Our percentages have been pretty good so far."

BIG SACK ATTACK The 145 net yards allowed by the Lions' defence in last Saturday's 17-3 win over Edmonton were the fewest B.C. has allowed in a game in 13 years. Monsoon-like conditions were a contributing factor, no doubt, but it was an impressive performance nonetheless. Still, the Lions' defensive line wasn't satisfied. The team's sack total after three games is only four (three came against Edmonton). "Sacks is a personal pride thing," said DT Keron Williams. "For D-linemen, that's how we get our names in the paper." Heading into Week 4, the league average is up by almost two sacks per game, 6.1 sacks compared to 4.3 in 2012.

Next game Tonight vs. Edmonton Eskimos 7 p.m. at BC Place Stadium TSN/TEAM 1040 LOCAL TV BLACKOUT IN EFFECT

INSIDE THE GAME Edmonton Eskimos at B.C. Lions PLAYERS TO WATCH

PAUL MCCALLUM, KICKER, B.C. In his 21st season, McCallum has to think long and hard about the last time he shared kicking duties in a Canadian Football League game. "When I first broke in with Saskatchewan (1994), Brent Matich did the punting and I did the field-goal kicking," said McCallum, who will share kicking duties with third-year player Hugh O'Neill against the Eskimos. McCallum, 43, hasn't played since injuring his groin in warm-up for the Lions' June 21 pre-season game against Edmonton. He'll handle the field-goal duties while O'Neill is responsible for kickoffs. Both players could punt, depending on the situation and field position, head coach Mike Benevides said. Grant Shaw is responsible for all three phases of the kicking game for the Eskimos, who have punter Burke Dales on the 46-man roster. Dales has been a scratch in every one of the Eskimos' starts to date.

FRED STAMPS, SLOTBACK, EDMONTON Stamps has been a non-participant in practice since the first week of training camp, so his rigorous activity in training this week in Edmonton was a good sign for the Esks. He went full out and figures to give the Edmonton attack a much-needed receiving threat. Despite sitting out last Saturday's 17-3 loss to the Lions, Stamps still leads the team with nine catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Against the Lions, the Eskimos had just 176 yards of offence, 97 of those coming on passing plays. "We really feel we're a much better team with Fred on the field," head coach Kavis Reed said. "Freddy, any time he's in your lineup, that makes your offence better right away," quarterback Mike Reilly told The Edmonton Sun. "So that's a big help, but at the same time, it can't just be the Freddy show. If that's the case, we're not going to win.

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